The present invention is directed generally to an improvement in wheel barrow type devices and more particularly to a method and apparatus to facilitate the dumping of refuse collected in the bucket of a wheel barrow.
Wheel barrows are well known in the art and their uses are varied but primarily being for the transportation of refuse from one place to another. Also known in the art are hinged mountings attached between the bucket and the standard wheel barrow frame, allowing the bucket to be pivoted independently of the standard frame. This facilitates the dumping of the refuse from the bucket since the operator need not get as close to the wheel barrow's center of gravity to release the contents from the bucket.
A major disadvantage of using the currently available hinged mounting for the bucket is the inability to stop the bucket from pivoting once it starts. The result being, the bucket flips causing the handles to accelerate forward in the operator's hands. This is especially troublesome and potentially hazardous to the operator, if the refuse is being dumped off a building or the like, under construction, where the operator is some distance off the ground. Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the present invention to increase operator safety by providing a means for limiting the amount of travel in the bucket when attached to a hinged mounting.
Another disadvantage of the currently available hinged mounting is the requirement for the operator to manually grasp the lip of the bucket and pull it back onto the frame once the refuse has been emptied therefrom. This is especially difficult if, as a result of the dumping of the refuse, the bucket is upside down on the ground and almost impossible if the refuse is being dumped over the edge of a building or the like. Accordingly, it is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a means for retracting the bucket on the hinged member and returning it to its original position on the standard frame without having to manually grasp the bucket.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a wheel barrow dump apparatus which is of rugged construction, inexpensive to build and easy to install and use.